HP open to licensing WebOS

Chief Executive says door is open to licensing operating system to other companies.

When Hewlett-Packard Co acquired Palm, one of the biggest factors in that decision was the WebOS rights. The mobile operating system has been repeatedly praised for what it offers to the market, and its acquisition by HP gave the consumer electronics company a weapon in the mobile space.

Instead of just putting WebOS on HP products, the company is open to licensing its use to other companies too. "I happen to believe that WebOS is a uniquely outstanding operating system," said HP chief executive Leo Apotheker. "It's not correct to believe that it should only be on HP devices."

HP is preparing to launch its 9.7-inch TouchPad tablet, which is based on WebOS software. It hopes that WebOS will become the third most used operating system software in the space, behind Google's Android and Apple's iOS.

"Right now we are focused on getting it out in the market to gain the credibility,"Apotheker said. "WebOS will also be adopted by many partners who provide services to small and medium businesses."

HP also plans to integrate WebOS into other products. It will, for example, load it to its printers that cost $100 or more.